Device for elevating and suspending bed-clothing



(No Model.)

A. W. BOHAKER. DEVICE FOR ELEVATING AND SUSPENDING BED CLOTHING. No. 323,265.

Patented July 28, 1885.

N PETERS. Halo-Li hographer, Waxhlnginn. D C.

U ITED STATES PATENT Erica.

ANDREAS WV. BOHAKER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

DEVICE FOR ELEVATING AND SUSPENDING BED-CLOTHING.

SPECIFICATION farming part of Letters Patent No. 323,265, dated July 28, 1885.

Application filed July 15, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it knownthat I, ANDREAS W. BOHAKER, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and Improved Device for Elevating and Suspending Bed-Clothes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the figures'a-nd letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention has for its object to provide means for conveniently raising and suspend ing the upper covering of a bed, whereby the weight of the covering may be removed from the occupant of the bed, so as to keep him cooler, and, if an invalid, prevent the annoyance and exhaustion due to the weight of the covering and its contact with his person.

My invention is applicable to bedsteads of ordinary construction, and I will nowproceed to describe one of its simplest forms or embodiments, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

In said drawings, Figure lrepresents a perspective view of a bed provided with my improvements; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section of the same, showing the parts in the position which they normally occupy; Fig. 3, a similar view, showing the parts in the position which they occupy when the covering is elevated.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures indicate the same parts.

A indicates the head, B the foot, and O O the side pieces, of an ordinary bedstead.

To the inner side of each of the side pieces are pivoted two arms or levers, D E, the former being located near the head of the bed and the latter near its foot.

The upper ends of each pair of bars or levers are connected by means of a rod, F, in such manner that the raising or lowering of one of the arms or levers will cause a similar movement of the other arm or lever. WVhen the arms or levers are folded down, they and their connecting-rods lie below the upper edge of the side pieces and beneath the overhanging upper covering of the bed, in the position shown in Fig. 2. \Vhen, however, either the upper or the lower arms or levers are raised, the connecting-rods are also raised, thus raising It consists of cords G, passed through one or more guides, H H, secured to the side pieces of the bed; thence through slots or perfora-.

tions near the lower ends of the arms or levers E at the foot of the bed; thence through guides I, secured to the foot of the bed; thence back again to a point, J, on the side arms or levers, where they are fastened. free end of each of the cords is provided with a ring or handle, and the parts are so arranged that when the ring is pulled toward the head of the bed, either by the occupant of the bed or by a person alongside the bed, the arms or levers will be swung up to the height desired.

The cords may be employed to entirely raise the levers to the position desired or tosimply partly raise the levers,so that they or the connecting-rods may be grasped by the hand and the raising operation completed.

I11 order that the covering may be held suspended at the height to which it is adjusted, the arms or levers D at the head of the bed are provided each with a hinged pawl-arm, L, which is adapted to engage with a ratchetbar, M, secured to the side pieces, as shown.

In lifting the arms or levers from their lowered position the pawl-arms automatically travel along the ratchet-bars tooth by toot-h, and when the desired elevation is reached they catch in front of the nearest tooth and hold the parts firmly in position.

To lower the covering by means of my invention, it is only necessary to disengage the pawl-arms from their respective ratchet-bars, when the arms or levers will descend to their normal positions, carrying with them the covering. When the connecting-rods are lowered into the position shown in Fig. 2, they enter grooves or recesses d in the front faces of the arms or levers D, provided for theirreception, and in this way space is economized and the said bars kept from view.

The arms, connecting rods, 810., may be made either wholly or partly of metal; but I prefer to make them of metal.

The upper Besides being useful for cooling the bed in warm weather and for keeping the covering from contact with the occupant, where such contactwould be oppressive or annoying to him, my invention enables the covering to be elevated above the body of the bed for the purpose of airing the bed daily.

\Vhen the edges of the upper covering do not project far enough over the side pieces to enable the covering to be held in an elevated position Without sagging in the middle and slipping off the connecting-rods, the covering may be lapped under the said rods and pinned, sewed, or otherwise fastened to itself, as will be readily understood.

I am aware that cribs have been constructed with a frame composed of rods or bars fastened to arms at the ends of the crib, for preventing children from falling out of bed, and adapted to be folded down inside the side rails, so that the crib may be folded and slipped under an ordinary bedstead,when desired, and therefore do not claim such a construct-ion broadly.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. The combination, with a bed, of the de' vice for raising the upper covering thereof,

consisting of arms or levers hinged to the side pieces of the bedstead, near the head and foot, respectively, rods for connecting said arms or levers, and the cords attached to said arms for operating to raise the covering, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a bed, of the hinged arms or lovers, the connecting -rods, the cords for raising the arms or levers, and the guides for said cords, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the two sets of hinged arms or levers and the cords for raising them. the connecting-rods, the pawl-arms connected to one set of arms, and the ratehetbars with which said pawl-arms cooperate to sustain the arms in elevated position, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the hinged arms or levers, the connecting-rods, the cords for raising the arms or levers. and the guides for the same, the hinged pawl arms, and the ratchetbars, the whole constructed and arranged substantially as described.

ANDREAS W. BOI-IAKER.

Witnesses:

FREDERICK PEASE, W. M. PENDLETON. 

